RETHINKING CHILLERS

01/11/2016Plastics Machinery

The incorporation of advanced control technology to improve efficiency, as well as a rethinking of the definition of system modularity and flexibility, mark developments from three suppliers of central cooling systems that aim for increased capability.
At the K show, Aquatech Srl, Santa Maria di Sala, Italy, launched a new line of central chillers that automatically match the amount of cooling capacity to a plant’s requirements. The Easycool+ line was created specifically for the plastics industry, and features components and functions that provide self-diagnostics during startup, flexibility during operation and energy savings compared with conventional “fixed” central chiller systems, said Giorgio Santella, chief marketing officer for Piovan SpA. Piovan is Aquatech’s parent company, also based in Santa Maria di Sala. Aquatech’s products are offered in the U.S. through sister company Universal Dynamics Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
The Easycool+ line consists of 34 models with cooling capacities from 15 tons to 150 tons. The chillers are designed to deliver greater efficiency and automatic control at a cost that is competitive with conventional central cooling systems.
The chillers have a favorable energy efficiency ratio (EER) due to their ability to adjust cooling capacity, pressure, temperature and more. EER indicates how many kilowatts (kW) of electricity are required to produce a kW of cooling capacity.